There is part of me that does not want to write this review. There is part of me that wants to wait until I see it a 2nd time before I examine it and pull it apart like taffy. There is SO much to discuss, so much to take in, so much just raw passionate visionary filmmaking at work, that to try and put it all into words... Well, it's hard... But, I will try.
There exists a special privilege called the "Carte Blanche". It is a special thing that is only reserved for directors who (A) make a crap ton of money at the box office OR (B) create a piece of film that becomes an iconic piece of pop culture that will be discussed and talked about 20 years from now. Christopher Nolan managed to do both of those things with one film: The Dark Knight. Now that rabid fans are hungry for another ingenious Batman film, the studio wants to keep this director as happy as humanly possible. So, what do they do? The pretty much give him a blank check, and say "Have fun"... And, that he did.
Inception is quite possibly one of the most incredible film experiences of my life. It is a deeply personal, yet vastly epic film that pulsates with palpable tension from the first scene to the end credits. It is a flawed, yet masterfully created film that has parts that will seriously make your JAW DROP PAST YOUR KNEES. And, it is also an incredibly emotional film, it is an incredibly smart film that does not dumb itself down. It is an artist purging every bit of creativity out of his mind and onto film... And, it does all this while being a BADASS psychological heist thriller that oozes infinite coolness.
So, the film is about a guy named Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) who is an "extractor". He has the rare ability to go into people's minds and steal their secrets... His right hand man is Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who is the guy who works out all the details. But, when they are approached by a powerful business man named Saito (Ken Wantanabe) with a new job that offers something more valuable to Cobb than money, things get difficult. Instead of pulling off a heist, they have to do the opposite: they have to do Inception, implant an idea into the mind and make it seem so natural that it will evolve by itself. But, as Arthur says, "you can't fake true inspiration". However, Cobb is convinced that he can do it. So, he assembles a team that includes Ariadne (Ellen Page), who can build and construct the world of the dream; Eames (Tom Hardy), a cool dude who can forge any persona needed; and Yusuf, a chemist who is able to conjure different types of sedatives. They must infiltrate the mind of Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy) and implant the idea. However, trouble arises when a mysterious woman named Mal (Marion Cotillard) with ties to Cobb's past shows up...
And, that's all I'm telling you. The less details you know about the story, the better. Firstly, I'm hearing alot of critics complain about it being too hard to follow. I'd like to tell those critics to shut up, and watch Twilight or something. No it's not! The only part that is needlessly cryptic is the very first scenes. Which would count as a complaint, except that this cryptic first sequences draws you in so much, that by the time the movie hits it's stride, it doesn't matter. You are all in.
And this is in no small part due to the actors, which every single person in this film brings their A game. There is not a single less-than-phenomenal performance to be found here. Leonardo DiCaprio is in top form here, playing the part with more subtle pain than the one he played in Shutter Island. He is outstanding in this film. The great thing, however, is that the whole entire cast is given equal chances to shine. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is great in nearly everything that he's in, and this is no different. He is a scene stealer. Ellen Page also does some of the best work I've ever seen out of her. Like, this is "Hard Candy" type of good. Tom Hardy is just so cool and confident without even trying too hard. Ken Wantanabe is incredible also, even if sometimes I couldn't understand him through his thick accent. But, the star that shines brightest is Marion Cotillard, who has the insane part of providing the story's base of emotion and menace all at once. Her work is flawless, beautiful, haunting, and probably the absolute best performance out of the bunch.
And this is all thanks to Christopher Nolan's near-flawless direction here. He commands something that feels so real out of his actors, something so vibrant, so alive. It also helps the his writing is no-nonsense... Like, every single line that is there needs to be there. There is no extraneous dumb dialogue here. There are no stupid one-liners, no scatological humor. This film is near-surgical in its percision... which might be a small complaint, that it is so precise, it sometimes feels mechanical...
The film, visually, is a knock-out. It is groundbreakingly gorgeous. The visual effects are amazing, and not in a "it's cool to look at" sort of way. But, in a way that is more like "How the hell did they do that??"... The cinematography is among some of the best I've seen in years. The DP, Wally Pfister, is so clearly born to shoot film, its like it's impossible for him to make a less-than-stellar shot. And, the editing... wow. There is one action sequence that takes up most of the 2nd & 3rd act that is one of the most incredible action sequences put to film... Imagine 3 different actions sequences happening at once all in different planes of consciousness... So, if one event happens in one layer of consciousness, it affects all the other ones in very jaw-dropping ways... Like, DAMN. I won't explain any more about this scene, since it HAS to be seen on the biggest screen possible. All I will say is that I suspect this scene will be taught in film editing classes everywhere. Now, let's talk about Hans Zimmer's miracle of a score. WOW. This is some of his best musical scoring since... since forever. Now, in your 2nd or 3rd viewing, pay special attention to the score. Because, Nolan did not let Hans Zimmer see any of the film while scoring it... Be blown away by the results.
Of course, we've all seen bits and pieces of Joseph Gordon Levitt's zero-gravity fight scene. Be prepared, because it is one of the most incredible things I have ever seen... There is so much that is great here, so much that is just mind-bendingly flawless... And, let me tell you, the last few seconds of this film will be the most hotly debated ending of the year, I promise. Be prepared to pay attention, miss a small piece of info, and you will be lost.
Everything is so tight on this, but why is it not flawless? Why is it a great film, but not a masterpiece? Well, after this first viewing, I don't know if I can call it a masterpiece. The beginning sequence is a major problem that takes the film down from being perfect. It just feels disjointed, and not in an "intriguing" way disjointed, but in a frustrating sort of way. These scenes work to draw you in, but it's still frustrating. And, they could have shaved some time off of this, but I feel like everything works so great, that I don't know what I could cut out. There is nothing to cut. Yet, it still feels like some fat could be trimmed. It's not long in the sense of "oh my God, would it just end already", but more so in the sense that it feels like it's great the way it is, but in the last 20 minutes it's so tense and it does not relieve you of that tension, it leaves you a little exhausted and breathless afterward.
So, there is part of me that doesn't want to write this review, there is part of me that just wants to tell you to go see this movie, and support it. These are the types of films Hollywood needs to be making more of. See this, see it on the biggest screen possible, and bring friends with you. Don't wait for a DVDrip, don't wait for an R5. Go to the movies, and pay to see this. It deserves it. At one point in the film, Tom Hardy's character Eames says "You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling"... It's like Nolan is challenging us dream bigger, and make a better future for film possible... Are you gonna disappoint him?
Score: 9.5 (out of 10) = DOPENESS!
There exists a special privilege called the "Carte Blanche". It is a special thing that is only reserved for directors who (A) make a crap ton of money at the box office OR (B) create a piece of film that becomes an iconic piece of pop culture that will be discussed and talked about 20 years from now. Christopher Nolan managed to do both of those things with one film: The Dark Knight. Now that rabid fans are hungry for another ingenious Batman film, the studio wants to keep this director as happy as humanly possible. So, what do they do? The pretty much give him a blank check, and say "Have fun"... And, that he did.
Inception is quite possibly one of the most incredible film experiences of my life. It is a deeply personal, yet vastly epic film that pulsates with palpable tension from the first scene to the end credits. It is a flawed, yet masterfully created film that has parts that will seriously make your JAW DROP PAST YOUR KNEES. And, it is also an incredibly emotional film, it is an incredibly smart film that does not dumb itself down. It is an artist purging every bit of creativity out of his mind and onto film... And, it does all this while being a BADASS psychological heist thriller that oozes infinite coolness.
So, the film is about a guy named Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) who is an "extractor". He has the rare ability to go into people's minds and steal their secrets... His right hand man is Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who is the guy who works out all the details. But, when they are approached by a powerful business man named Saito (Ken Wantanabe) with a new job that offers something more valuable to Cobb than money, things get difficult. Instead of pulling off a heist, they have to do the opposite: they have to do Inception, implant an idea into the mind and make it seem so natural that it will evolve by itself. But, as Arthur says, "you can't fake true inspiration". However, Cobb is convinced that he can do it. So, he assembles a team that includes Ariadne (Ellen Page), who can build and construct the world of the dream; Eames (Tom Hardy), a cool dude who can forge any persona needed; and Yusuf, a chemist who is able to conjure different types of sedatives. They must infiltrate the mind of Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy) and implant the idea. However, trouble arises when a mysterious woman named Mal (Marion Cotillard) with ties to Cobb's past shows up...
And, that's all I'm telling you. The less details you know about the story, the better. Firstly, I'm hearing alot of critics complain about it being too hard to follow. I'd like to tell those critics to shut up, and watch Twilight or something. No it's not! The only part that is needlessly cryptic is the very first scenes. Which would count as a complaint, except that this cryptic first sequences draws you in so much, that by the time the movie hits it's stride, it doesn't matter. You are all in.
And this is in no small part due to the actors, which every single person in this film brings their A game. There is not a single less-than-phenomenal performance to be found here. Leonardo DiCaprio is in top form here, playing the part with more subtle pain than the one he played in Shutter Island. He is outstanding in this film. The great thing, however, is that the whole entire cast is given equal chances to shine. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is great in nearly everything that he's in, and this is no different. He is a scene stealer. Ellen Page also does some of the best work I've ever seen out of her. Like, this is "Hard Candy" type of good. Tom Hardy is just so cool and confident without even trying too hard. Ken Wantanabe is incredible also, even if sometimes I couldn't understand him through his thick accent. But, the star that shines brightest is Marion Cotillard, who has the insane part of providing the story's base of emotion and menace all at once. Her work is flawless, beautiful, haunting, and probably the absolute best performance out of the bunch.
And this is all thanks to Christopher Nolan's near-flawless direction here. He commands something that feels so real out of his actors, something so vibrant, so alive. It also helps the his writing is no-nonsense... Like, every single line that is there needs to be there. There is no extraneous dumb dialogue here. There are no stupid one-liners, no scatological humor. This film is near-surgical in its percision... which might be a small complaint, that it is so precise, it sometimes feels mechanical...
The film, visually, is a knock-out. It is groundbreakingly gorgeous. The visual effects are amazing, and not in a "it's cool to look at" sort of way. But, in a way that is more like "How the hell did they do that??"... The cinematography is among some of the best I've seen in years. The DP, Wally Pfister, is so clearly born to shoot film, its like it's impossible for him to make a less-than-stellar shot. And, the editing... wow. There is one action sequence that takes up most of the 2nd & 3rd act that is one of the most incredible action sequences put to film... Imagine 3 different actions sequences happening at once all in different planes of consciousness... So, if one event happens in one layer of consciousness, it affects all the other ones in very jaw-dropping ways... Like, DAMN. I won't explain any more about this scene, since it HAS to be seen on the biggest screen possible. All I will say is that I suspect this scene will be taught in film editing classes everywhere. Now, let's talk about Hans Zimmer's miracle of a score. WOW. This is some of his best musical scoring since... since forever. Now, in your 2nd or 3rd viewing, pay special attention to the score. Because, Nolan did not let Hans Zimmer see any of the film while scoring it... Be blown away by the results.
Of course, we've all seen bits and pieces of Joseph Gordon Levitt's zero-gravity fight scene. Be prepared, because it is one of the most incredible things I have ever seen... There is so much that is great here, so much that is just mind-bendingly flawless... And, let me tell you, the last few seconds of this film will be the most hotly debated ending of the year, I promise. Be prepared to pay attention, miss a small piece of info, and you will be lost.
Everything is so tight on this, but why is it not flawless? Why is it a great film, but not a masterpiece? Well, after this first viewing, I don't know if I can call it a masterpiece. The beginning sequence is a major problem that takes the film down from being perfect. It just feels disjointed, and not in an "intriguing" way disjointed, but in a frustrating sort of way. These scenes work to draw you in, but it's still frustrating. And, they could have shaved some time off of this, but I feel like everything works so great, that I don't know what I could cut out. There is nothing to cut. Yet, it still feels like some fat could be trimmed. It's not long in the sense of "oh my God, would it just end already", but more so in the sense that it feels like it's great the way it is, but in the last 20 minutes it's so tense and it does not relieve you of that tension, it leaves you a little exhausted and breathless afterward.
So, there is part of me that doesn't want to write this review, there is part of me that just wants to tell you to go see this movie, and support it. These are the types of films Hollywood needs to be making more of. See this, see it on the biggest screen possible, and bring friends with you. Don't wait for a DVDrip, don't wait for an R5. Go to the movies, and pay to see this. It deserves it. At one point in the film, Tom Hardy's character Eames says "You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling"... It's like Nolan is challenging us dream bigger, and make a better future for film possible... Are you gonna disappoint him?
Score: 9.5 (out of 10) = DOPENESS!
Can't wait to see it tomorrow night in IMAX. Your review reminds me of Devin Faraci's review, where he basically talked about the same scenes and how the whole film is cinematic bliss. I love the idea of it being a film you need to see again immediately after, not to wrap your head around the plot, but to just fully take in everything that it has to offer. Sounds like an emotionally and thematically rich and resonant film. And I have heard that the last 20 minutes are so filled with tension that audiences are likely to audibly exhale when the credits roll. This is all sounding like catnip to me. :mrgreen:
